How did the civil war war divide the country politically, socially, morally, and geographically? Also, do you think we could have resolved the differences without war and could we have found freedom another way?

When I see the stars and bars on a front license plate, house flag, or bumper sticker, id {it} had better be a civil war buff, or they are going to get pulled over, evicted or ostrecized. {ostracized}

I suspect Tulane did not graduate you ...

I'm not too sure you would recognize the "stars & bars" if you saw it; and are you some type of law enforcement officer with the authority of your state to "pull someone over", or simply a zealous vigilante? Either way, this sounds like empty internet boasting - if the first, I cannot imagine you would keep a badge long with such behavior, and if the second, I cannot imagine you would try such foolishness more than once.

Also, the NCAA Division One Men's Football Champion this year was the East Alabama Male College ...

Whether your tongue is in your cheek or not, this is a good answer to the original question ...

As to the second part, certainly many avenues were open to avoid The War, both before and after secession ... no-one was interested ...

1. When Notre Dame plays Alabama, I always root for Notre Dame. North trumps South Always in sports

2. When I see the stars and bars on a front license plate, house flag, or bumper sticker, id had better be a civil war buff, or they are going to get pulled over, evicted or ostrecized.

3. My ear tunes out a southern voice and I dont listen to country music...ever.

4. I don't consider Antietam or Gettysburg a tie, but a win.

5. I am respectful when travelling down south, but I keep my head on a swivel.

6. I would not join ATO or KA at college. Too "southern".

7. In 1973, i asked that my roommate at Tulane be from the North, not the South. I was raised to be suspicious of southerners.

8. I could add 20 more, but would only add that as I get older, I get over the sectional rivalry, but I never forget that I am a northerner and that we won....and I make no apoligies for it.

Dare i hope your tongue is stuck firmly in your cheek?

I would, but I'm currently living in snow country (actually, this winter aren't we all) and I ran into this kinda thing when my family moved back after living down South for close to ten years. Which put us close to my mother's family while being up here puts me close to my father's family. I've run into far too many in the North with this kinda attitude. Had one classmate in high school who took it to the extreme by claiming we should go in and nuke the South out of existence. And not just the South but anyone this country ever fought against up to that time. What's more scary, he was serious.

Which do I prefer, living in the North or living in the South? Let's put it to you this way, at this point having more experince with both I'll take them over where I was born. Course I was only a few weeks old when we moved from there so I have absolutely no clue if I would like it or not.

They had tried many different compromises to get along. Slavery wasn't the sole issue but it riled up the abolitionists big time in the north. Kept things good and raw. Southerners felt they were financing the government with tariffs and were getting screwed.

The Mexican War of 1846-47 was every bit as controversial as the Iraq War has been. Northerners viewed it as a southern power grab to expand slavery into the west by getting the Mexicans out of the way. Lincoln spoke out against the war in congress. Grant served in the war but considered it immoral. This war added to the North-South tensions.

I haven't had this much fun since Neal Young sang "Southern Man" and the Allman Brothers sang, "Sweet Home Alabama...[/a southern man don't need you around anyway"]

Being from the North, I just get tired, simply tired, of the Lost Cause lived out in modern daily living. The next 5 years are going to be interesting. My feeling is that 150 years later, little has changed. Picture this:

A Senator from Illinois, unpopular when elected, comes to Washington DC as the President of the United States. Meets with total rejection and appropriation from his inaugural on. Meets with immediate opposition from Senator [Sessions], Governors [Barbour], politicians [Ruffin and Toombs = Gingerich]; Senators from South i.e. North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, all opposing this elected man from Illinois who doesnt look like the old establishment...i.e. tall, country with a beard ... or perhaps black. Former President did little to calm people. [Buchanon = Bush] Assassination threats daily. His supporters are from Illinois, New York, Mass. Delaware, etc....Dont you see that 1861 is here?

Does this sound like 1861 or 2008? Now you know why it was not tongue in cheek. Its history repeating itself and that's what we do as historians...warn people that the past is present.

Barlow wrote: I haven't had this much fun since Neal Young sang "Southern Man" and the Allman Brothers sang, "Sweet Home Alabama...[/a southern man don't need you around anyway"]

Being from the North, I just get tired, simply tired, of the Lost Cause lived out in modern daily living. The next 5 years are going to be interesting. My feeling is that 150 years later, little has changed. Picture this:

A Senator from Illinois, unpopular when elected, comes to Washington DC as the President of the United States. Meets with total rejection and appropriation from his inaugural on. Meets with immediate opposition from Senator [Sessions], Governors [Barbour], politicians [Ruffin and Toombs = Gingerich]; Senators from South i.e. North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, all opposing this elected man from Illinois who doesnt look like the old establishment...i.e. tall, country with a beard ... or perhaps black. Former President did little to calm people. [Buchanon = Bush] Assassination threats daily. His supporters are from Illinois, New York, Mass. Delaware, etc....Dont you see that 1861 is here?

Does this sound like 1861 or 2008? Now you know why it was not tongue in cheek. Its history repeating itself and that's what we do as historians...warn people that the past is present.

Being from the South, I get tired, simply tired, of yankees trying to blame everything including original sin on southerners...

you are right, the next 5 years will be fun if your first post is anything like what we can expect.. I am not tongue in cheek either

Show me a President who has NEVER had ANY of the similarities in rejection, opposition, dis-trust, etc, as mentioned.........

In any event, I think somehow the intent of the thread hasn't really been fully answered or professionally addressed,, as much as it has the potential to, especially with some really great, knowledgeable people that are in here......

My opinion is that, those who "still smell the powder burining" and foster resentment do very little to to reverse the ways that the war divided the Nation. Hate groups have already accomplished that.....Historians try to remedy it.....What do we (and should we), as hobbysits, researchers, teachers and students do??....Sling mud??

I think this is a good "jumping off point" in addressing the intial question. It's Shelby Foote's quote from the Civil War" PBS series. By no means is it THE definative answer, but it's a great foundation from which to build an answer.

"Any understanding of this nation has to be based, and I mean really based, on an understanding of the Civil War. I believe that firmly. It defined us. The Revolution did what it did. Our involvement in European wars, beginning with the First World War, did what it did. But the Civil War defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. And it is very necessary, if you are going to understand the American character in the twentieth century, to learn about this enormous catastrophe of the mid-nineteenth century. It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads. "

The answer to the initial question requires us to think about what is meant by:

1) Understanding the American character in the twentieth century, as a result of the Civil War

Albert Sailhorst wrote: I think this is a good "jumping off point" in addressing the intial question. It's Shelby Foote's quote from the Civil War" PBS series. By no means is it THE definative answer, but it's a great foundation from which to build an answer.

"Any understanding of this nation has to be based, and I mean really based, on an understanding of the Civil War. I believe that firmly. It defined us. The Revolution did what it did. Our involvement in European wars, beginning with the First World War, did what it did. But the Civil War defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. And it is very necessary, if you are going to understand the American character in the twentieth century, to learn about this enormous catastrophe of the mid-nineteenth century. It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads. "

The answer to the initial question requires us to think about what is meant by:

1) Understanding the American character in the twentieth century, as a result of the Civil War